Turkey urges police action on BNP flyers

The country's government is considering referring the party to the police over racist promotional material

The Turkish government has demanded the withdrawal of election leaflets distributed in Scotland by the British National party, claiming they are intended to incite racial and religious hatred.

Flyers promoting the BNP's European election campaign suggest that millions of Turkish Muslims would flood into Britain if the country were to be granted full EU membership.

One BNP leaflet being handed out on the streets of Glasgow said taxpayers' money "shouldn't be wasted on expanding Europe so that millions of Muslims in Turkey can join the invasion of foreign job snatchers".

Another urges voters to "oppose the dangerous drive backed by the other main parties to give 80m low-wage Muslim Turks the right to swamp Britain".

Officials at the Turkish embassy in London have complained to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and have suggested the matter be referred to the police because the leaflets potentially breach race relations legislation.